The House of Representatives is proposing that all elections in Nigeria are conducted same day.
This comes on a day the parliament directed an immediate suspension of planned promotion examinations for over 1500 staff of the National Examinations Council, NECO, in Minna, Niger state.
New amendments are on the table to the Electoral Act of 2022.
The sponsor of the Amendment Bill, Francis Waive, acknowledges the impact of the Act on the 2023 general election just as he appreciates the need to correct some obvious defects.
These are conduct of all five elections on the same day, re-validation of the Voters’ Register every ten years and sanctions for frivolous petitions are some of the amendments he proposes.
The sponsor believes having all elections same day will save Nigeria huge cost
Members declare support for the bill while a few seek clarifications
The House called on the National Examinations Council, NECO, to put on hold its Promotion Examinations slated for 14-15 February, in Minna, Niger state, pending its intervention.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Council will appear before the lawmakers to explain issues.
The bill scaled second reading and it’s expected that a public hearing will bring together relevant stakeholders to collate their inputs and determine the fate of the proposed amendments.
